Friday, November 12, 2004

Standard disclaimer: These picks are FOR ENTERTAINMENT PURPOSES ONLY. I'm not betting illegally with these, and NEITHER SHOULD YOU...and I take no responsibility if you lose your house.

Too many 6-8, 7-7 weeks lately- the turnaround begins now. Aw, who am I kidding? The NFL is as unpredictable as ever, more so every week. Still, I soldier on, undeterred:

BALTIMORE over the NY Jets: The Jets' game plan will depend on Curtis Martin's running, but the Ravens are hard to run on. I think the Ravens will squeak by, and certainly cover on the road.

TENNESSEE over Chicago: The Bears are tougher than most people think, but I believe Tennessee has enough to beat them at home.

JACKSONVILLE over Detroit: I like the Jags' D at home.

INDIANAPOLIS over Houston: Not at home. Indy should breeze.

KANSAS CITY over New Orleans: As someone who depends on the awful Saints' QB, RB and best WR on his fantasy teams, I hope this is a real shootout. Don't know why exactly, 'cause the Chiefs don't have Priest Holmes, but my gut tells me KC will win. Stupid gut.

CLEVELAND over Pittsburgh: I like the Steelers, really I do, and I know I picked them to lose the last two weeks as well...but Cleveland is a tough place to play, even for incredible rookie Ben Rothlisberger. I think the Steelers have enough to win the division and go deep into the playoffs, but they will not run the table to finish the regular season, and I think the otherwise inferior Browns will step up. Take the Browns and the points, if you must bet.

ST.LOUIS over Seattle: I think the Rams may be in the 'Hawks' heads a bit. Seattle's the better team, but they'll struggle on the road.

ATLANTA over Tampa Bay: Big game for Vick and Co., especially when it comes to making the playoffs. I hope they can continue to build on what they showed in Denver before the bye week...but if they come out with that feeble offense they've lapsed into all year so far, they'll get spanked by Tampa, who seems to be gathering some momentum since Brian Griese took over the QB slot.

CINCINNATI over Washington: When I pick them to win, they lose. When I pick them to lose, they win. The Bengals drive me nuts.

SAN FRANCISCO over Carolina: The Panthers made me look foolish last week, but I don't think they'll do it two weeks in a row. San Fran is due.

GREEN BAY over Minnesota: A tossup, so I take the Pack at home. Even without Randy Moss, yhis will still be a shootout, since neither defense is all that great.

ARIZONA over the NY Giants: Dennis Green seems to be getting the best out of his guys, and the Giants sure didn't look like the same team as in weeks past against Chicago. I see the G-Men wilting in the desert heat.

NEW ENGLAND over Buffalo: I take the Pats, but I'm not sure Buffalo isn't almost as good, especially with McGahee running the ball. The Bills will cover the spread, methinks.

PHILADELPHIA over Dallas: The Eagles kinda got exposed last weekend, but the Cowboys seem to be beat these days before they even take the field. It will be close, I think.

Last week: 7-7. Season to date: 71-59, .546.

Fantasy: Cut-Throat Fantasy (Money) League, I won! 53-34. Record, 3-6, tied for 3rd (or last, depends on how you look at it) in my 4-team division. This weekend, I play one of the few teams with a worse record than mine, so I have high hopes of being 4-6 when all is said and done. And hopefully I have not caused the Football Gods to frown upon me when I say that...

Freebie Yahoo League: Lost 65-50 to the only undefeated team in the league. I'm now 5-4, tied for 4th in a 12-team league in which 8 teams make the playoffs. I coulda beat the guy if Randy Moss hadn't been hurt, if I had also had a healthy #2 RB (that is a threat to score) , and if Aaron Brooks and Joe Horn had done ANYTHING at all...! If, if, if.